Famous game dev says players love “thick thigh” anime characters but not for the reason you think

A famous JRPG producer believes the popularity of female anime characters with “thick thighs” is more than just a simple thirst trap for dehydrated players. Instead, they believe it has a much deeper meaning. 

Talking to 4Gamer (translated by Automaton), Atelier producer Junzo Hosoi revealed why he thinks players enjoy anime girls with shapely designs. 

“This is just my perception, but I think that the economy has an influence on what kind of designs become popular,” the producer explained. 

“There are certain types of characters that are needed in times of recession, and there are types of characters that are embraced only when the economy is booming.” 

Dev reveals why players love “thick thigh” characters

KOEI TECMO

For example, Hosoi noted that during times of recession, “people start to favor voluptuous body types and motherly characteristics in women.” This reasoning was the driving force behind certain aspects of Ryza’s design – the protagonist from Atelier Ryza. 

There’s no real data that suggests this is the case, but for Hosoi, there is a clear reason why players gravitate towards shapely female anime characters. After all, popular gacha games like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail rake in billions each year, which is no doubt helped by such designs. 

2024 sales figures for popular banner releases prove that curvy characters like Genshin’s Raiden Shogun and HSR’s Black Swan are a hit with fans. Both characters are currently ranked second in iOS sales charts, securing around 37 million and 26 million, respectively. 

Whether their popularity indicates the general state of the global economy is unknown – to be honest, it’s a question I didn’t expect to find myself pondering (it’s too early in the morning for this).